New High Ethylene Oxide Polyether Polyol for Soft and Ultrasoft Foam Production

During the last decade, soft and ultrasoft flexible slabstock foams have found new applications opportunities particularly in the furniture and bedding industries. This has been driven by new furniture designs and changes in bedding construction that place more emphasis on comfort while demanding higher quality and increased durability. At the same time, new regulatory protocols involving the use of chemicals like CFC’s and other auxiliary blowing agents have restricted production of the desired soft and ultrasoft foam grades. In response to this scenario, polyurethane industry players have developed new mechanical and chemical alternatives to overcome these restrictions. Machine manufacturers have introduced variable pressure foaming and liquid CO 2 machines that facilitate production of soft foam grades. Chemical and additive suppliers have provided new products to support these processes and have developed new soft foam technologies for conventional foam equipment. The flexible slabstock foam team at Bayer has contributed to this effort through its ULTRACEL® and SOFTCEL® foam technologies, which provide a broad range of soft foam grades for the industry. To further meet the industry needs in this area, Bayer recently introduced a new high ethylene oxide (EO) polyether polyol, ARCOL® Polyol I-9000, for the production of soft and ultrasoft foam grades with a unique “silky” feel. This polyol can be used as the major polyol component or as an additive for producing a wide range of soft foam grades with excellent durability and good compression set resistance. It offers broader processing latitude and wider grade flexibility than prior high EO polyols and can even be used in formulations with methylene chloride, where still allowed. Formulations have been developed to produce unique foams for high quality upholstery, enhanced comfort bedding, and various other applications currently employing fiberfill. In this paper we will discuss typical polyol features, formulating principles, manufacturing parameters for discontinuous and continuous foam processes, and typical performance properties for a wide range of foams made with this new polyol.